by Stephanie H., Sprague Branch Do you and your friends want urban jungles but lack the funds to buy tons of new plants? Never fear, I can teach you how to create more plants from the plants you already have! There are a few plants that will create babies for you. First up is the Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) that grow babies on the end of long stems. When these tiny plants get to grow roots, you can snip them off their stem and plant them in potting soil or, if you are lazy like me, sit them in a jar of water. Next up is the Pilea peperomioides, also known as the Chinese Money plant. Pileas grow tiny plantlets around the base of their stem. Once they are a few inches tall, you can cut the baby plant from the mother by snipping the connecting root that is a few inches under the soil. Plant the baby in potting soil and you are good to go! Many plants can be easily propagated from stem cuttings. This is the method I use most often. When you take a cutting, make sure to cut just below a leaf, this is where growth hormones that make new roots are concentrated. Make sure that you use a clean, sanitized knife or scissors and that you make a diagonal cut. Diagonal cuts heal faster than horizontal cuts. Next, plop the stem in some water, and change the water weekly. In about 3-4 weeks your plant stem should have roots. At this point you can transfer the stem to soil. Again, I am lazy and just keep the plants growing in water, it is also fun to see the root systems develop. I have had lots of fun experimenting with propagating different plants in water, and most of them have been very successful. When you and your friends have a few cuttings, get together and have a plant swap! The City Library encourages a respectful and focused dialogue on blog posts. Comments must be reviewed by a blog administrator. User comments represent the views and interpretations of the patron, not necessarily those of The City Library.
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